The definition of greatness is often subjective, but a handful of tennis legends stand out as the best players to set foot on a grass court.<\/p>\n
All the great champions find a way to win on every surface and when it comes to the grass court season, that challenge can be the most demanding.<\/p>\n
We only play on this surface for a few weeks each year, the icons who shine on the lush turf hold a special place in the hearts of tennis fans and here, we have built the ultimate grass court player using the best qualities of the game\u2019s ultimate champions.<\/p>\n
THE SERVE \u2013 Serena Williams and Pete Sampras<\/strong><\/p>\n A teenage Boris Becker changed the direction of tennis when he broke through and won The Queen\u2019s Club Championships and Wimbledon for the first time in 1985, with his booming serve bringing a new dimension to the sport.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Those who followed in his footsteps built on that blueprint and when the grass court champions who boasted the most effective serves are considered, Pete Sampras and Serena Williams have to be in the conversation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sampras dominated at Wimbledon as he won seven titles between 1993 and 2000, while he was also a two-time winner on the Queen\u2019s Club grass courts.<\/p>\n Williams also won seven Wimbledon singles titles and claimed an Olympic gold medal on the Wimbledon grass in 2012, with her power-packed serve at the heart of her aura in a career that included 23 Grand Slam singles titles.<\/p>\n THE FOREHAND \u2013 Steffi Graf and Roger Federer<\/strong><\/p>\n There was unique beauty in the forehands of German great Graf and Swiss maestro Federer.<\/p>\n Seven-time Wimbledon champion Graf struck this shot with an elegance and ferocity that intimidated her rivals, with the sound of the ball crunching onto her racket echoing around the great tennis arenas of the world in a career that saw her win 22 Grand Slam singles titles.<\/p>\n If Graf\u2019s forehand resembled a knife slicing through blades of grass, Federer\u2019s has the silky elegance of a master craftsman at work.<\/p>\n His grace on a tennis court somehow appeared to be elevated by the beauty of the green grass courts he loved more than any other, with his forehand winners drawing gasps of admiration from the crowd in every match he played.<\/p>\n THE BACKHAND \u2013 Martina Navratilova and Andy Murray<\/strong><\/p>\n Navratilova had a one-handed backhand that was loaded with pace and always delivered with wondrous accuracy.<\/p>\n One-handed backhands are now a rarity in the women\u2019s game, with the footage of Navratilova winning her nine Wimbledon singles titles and a remarkable 11 wins at the LTA tournament at Eastbourne a permanent reminder of the class she exuded when striking a backhand.<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s Andy Murray also excelled with this shot, as he claimed two Wimbledon titles on grass and five singles titles at The Queen\u2019s Club.<\/p>\n Murray\u2019s ability to stoop low and find what seemed to be impossible angles were at the heart of his triumphs on grass, while his fantastic lob was also a sumptuous option when the ball was fizzed into his backhand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n WINNING MINDSET \u2013 Billie Jean King and Novak Djokovic<\/strong><\/p>\n These two players overcame so many barriers to achieve greatness that will stand the test of time.<\/p>\n King\u2019s achievements off the court are probably more remarkable than her magnificent accomplishments on it, which included six Wimbledon singles titles and four in the Open Era.<\/p>\n She also changed face of the women\u2019s game forever as she was a prominent figure in the formation of the Women\u2019s Tennis Association and still continues to fight for equality in the sport with passion that has broken down so many barriers.<\/p>\n Djokovic has to overcome his own mission impossible, as he seemed destined to be the outsider in the battle between Federer and his great rival Rafael Nadal when he set his sights on Grand Slam glory.<\/p>\n Not only did Djokovic find a way to match his two great rivals, but he will finish his career with more major titles than both and will look to equal Federer\u2019s all-time record of eight Wimbledon titles this summer.<\/p>\n MOST MATCH WINS ON GRASS \u2013 WOMEN<\/strong><\/p>\n Martina Navratilova (CZE\/USA) \u2013 309<\/p>\n Evonne Goolagong (AUS) \u2013 285<\/p>\n Margaret Court (AUS) \u2013 264<\/p>\n Virginia Wade (GBR) \u2013 212<\/p>\n Chris Evert (USA) \u2013 208<\/p>\n MOST MATCH WINS ON GRASS \u2013 MEN<\/strong><\/p>\n Roger Federer (SUI) \u2013 192<\/p>\n Jimmy Connors (USA)- 185<\/p>\n John Newcombe (AUS) \u2013 164<\/p>\n Phil Dent (AUS) \u2013 157<\/p>\n John Alexander (AUS) \u2013 157<\/p>\n The post Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Roger Federer \u2013 building the ultimate grass court champion<\/a> appeared first on Tennis365<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The definition of greatness is often subjective, but a handful of tennis legends stand out as the best players to set foot on a grass court. All the great champions find a way to win on every surface and when it comes to the grass court season, that challenge can be the most demanding. 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